SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (BRAIN) — A lawsuit filed against Shimano North America and Trek Bicycle by a man who claimed his bike's V-brake lever impaled his thigh during a fall was dismissed Monday.
The dismissal with prejudice in the U.S. District Court for Rhode Island included the waiving of all rights of appeal. According to the lawsuit filed by Timothy Lynch in January 2024, Shimano improperly designed the lever, described as "metallic with a thin end" and should have designed it so that it "would have lessened or eliminated the danger of impalement and laceration injuries to bike riders."
He was seeking $2 million in damages.
In 2017, Lynch purchased a "Trek Level I road bike" and on June 29, 2022, was riding it on a South Kingstown bike path when he applied his brakes to avoid hitting another bike's back wheel. He lost his balance and fell on his right side. The suit alleged that while Lynch was falling, the left lever tore a 12-inch laceration in his left thigh.
Trek Bicycle, the lawsuit alleged, also should have known the lever design was faulty and could cause impalement during a fall and "failed to inspect and assess the safety of the V-brake for end users before installing it on the subject bike." In addition to alleging negligent design, the lawsuit cited both defendants for failure to warn, and breach of warranty.
